Castle Of Glass
by thelostartoflove
Summary: Arthur thought she had seen everything, what with her being the Princess of Camelot and all. But when she gets stuck with Merlin as her new manservant, she finds out just how wrong she was. Being Princess Arthur was hard work, and though she may not realize it just yet, she needed her clumsy servant more than ever. Fem!Arthur/Merlin, because there aren't enough. Starts in season 1
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is my first Merlin fic, and I thought I'd give this idea a go. I've seen tons of fem!Merlin stories, but hardly any fem!Arthur ones. I figured I'd change that, and try my best to make a believable female Arthur story. This might go AU during/after season four, as I need my happy ending! As well as the fact that there will have to be **_**some**_** changes due to Arthur being a girl, but I'll try to make it realistic :) Let me know what you think!**

**P.S.**

**The absolutely _stunning_ cover was made by the lovely songbird at TDA :)**

**! #$%^**

"Arthur," Uther Pendragon's voice called out from across the hall, stopping Arthur as she was making her way to the courtyard.

"Father." She nodded her head in acknowledgement, and walked forward to be by his side.

"The Lady Helen will be arriving tonight, and it would be a good show of respect to have you there with me to greet her," He spoke.

Arthur frowned slightly.

She hated the politics of being a Princess, and would much rather spend her time training with the knights than greeting '_Lady Helen'_. She'd see her at the feast, wouldn't she? She'd be there, sitting beside her father and listening as the Lady Helen sang.

"Father, with all due respect for Lady Helen, I expect that my training will keep me from being able to attend." She spoke briskly, clasping her hand behind her back as she stared up at the figure before her.

Her father frowned.

"But surely your training won't take you all day?" Uther spoke.

"Well, some of the knights are getting rusty on their footwork, so I believe that it will take longer than usual. And I'll be too tired by the evening. Perhaps I could drop by Lady Helen's chambers tomorrow morning to wish her well instead?" She reasoned.

Her father made a face, but then quickly nodded.

"Yes. I suppose a personal visit would show more respect for her performance. Very well, Arthur, I'll let you get back to your duties." He gave a nod of the head, before walking off in the opposite direction.

Arthur sighed, and adjusted the armor on her chest.

_Better get to it_.

She pivoted on her heel, and began walking towards the courtyard where the rest of her knights would be.

**! #$%^**

"Where's the target?" Arthur drawled, her lips turned into a slight smirk as she watched the servant boy in front of her begin to panic.

She had only been practicing with her knights for an hour when she had gotten fed up with this inadequate serving boy's behavior, and decided to have some fun with him.

"Right there, ma'am." The boy spoke cautiously, pointing at the wooden target off to his side.

The knights that stood behind Arthur began to chuckle, and she couldn't help but to mock the boy even further.

"It's into the sun,"

The serving boy paused, before frowning slightly.

"It's not that bright," He said, looking unsure of his words.

Arthur let out a small bark of laughter, her hands finding their way to her hips as she stared at the serving boy in disbelief.

"Bit like you, then!"

The knights laughed once again at Arthur's words, and the boy looked towards the ground.

"I'll put the target on the other end," He muttered softly in defeat, setting down the basket he held in his hands.

A smirk found its way onto Arthur's lips as an idea popped into her head, and she quickly turned to the knights that stood behind her.

"This will teach him," She spoke, and grabbed a dagger from the belt around her waist.

As the boy picked up the target and began to move across the grass, she pulled her arm back, aimed carefully, and hurled the dagger straight toward the target.

With a dull thud, it embedded itself slightly to the left of the center.

Arthur grinned as the serving boy's head popped up above the wooden target, his eyes wide and his mouth open in disbelief.

"Hang on!" He shouted, his voice high pitched with panic.

But Arthur merely held up her hands, and having no sympathy for the boy, grinned even wider.

"Don't stop!" She ordered, finding herself mildly amused by the situation.

The boy was a horrid servant, and didn't know anything about treating his superiors with the proper respect their title's commanded, so she took it upon herself to teach him a lesson. And she supposed there was no harm in laughing a bit while she was at it.

The serving boy scrambled to the left, before looking back at Arthur.

"Here?" He asked.

Arthur simply raised her eyebrows.

"I told you to keep moving." She spoke, before reaching for another dagger.

She took the silver weapon from a knight's outstretched hand, aimed, and once again threw the dagger at the target. This time, she noted with a smile, the knife hit dead center. The boy looked up at her with frantic eyes as he tried to figure out what to do, but Arthur just motioned for him to move.

"Come on then, _run_!" She egged him on, watching in amusement as he dashed to the side, lifting the target up slightly as to protect his face.

Arthur threw another dagger at the running target, though now she was much more interested in mocking the boy than practicing her throws. The knights catcalled the panicked servant, some of them laughing and one of them even patted her on the back as she continued to chuck daggers at the target.

One of her throws was particularly powerful, and caused the serving boy to lose his grip on the wood, sending it rolling across the ground. He scurried after it on all fours, making Arthur burst into laughter.

As she wiped the mirth from her eyes, she noticed another boy put his foot on the target, stopping it from rolling any further.

The boy was tall and scrawny, with raven hair and clothes that identified him as part of the lower class. He looked over at her, and shook his head slightly.

"Hey, come on. That's enough,"

His words shocked Arthur, and her eyebrows shot upwards. Just who did he think he was? Her face scrunched in confusion and disbelief, and she stepped forward.

"What?" She asked as she walked towards the boy, hoping that she had heard wrong.

"You've had your fun, my friend," He spoke, completely dispelling any hope that her ears were failing.

Arthur scoffed under her breath, and turned her lips up into a confused smirk.

"Do I know you?" She asked, finally stopping in front of the boy.

He smiled slightly, holding out his hand as if he wished for her to shake it.

"I'm Merlin." He spoke.

Arthur just stared at him.

"So I _don't_ know you?"

The raven haired boy paused, his next words cautious.

"No,"

Arthur stood face to face with this so called Merlin, squaring her shoulders in order to seem taller. She tilted her head to the side, ignoring the locks of golden hair that fell from her ponytail.

"Yet you called me _friend_."

The boy stared down at her with a tight smile.

"That was my mistake."

Arthur nodded, and her smile turned condescending.

"Yes, I think so," She drawled.

The boy called Merlin looked at the ground for a moment, before glancing back up at her with a strange glint in his eyes.

"You're right," He spoke. "I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass," The boy turned, and started walking away.

Arthur was frozen in place for a second, shocked at the gall this boy had. Was he _trying_ to get himself killed?

Anger bubbled up into Arthur's thoughts as she stared at his retreating back, and she placed her hand on the sword still strapped onto her belt.

"Or I, one who could be so _stupid_."

Because honestly, Arthur had yet to meet another person who could be _that_ dull.

The boy stopped in his tracks, and Arthur stalked towards him, fully intending on making a fool out of him.

"Tell me, _Mer_lin," She drawled. "Do you know how to walk on your knees?"

Merlin turned to face her, not a trace of fear or panic in his blue eyes.

"No." He spoke, his tone making it clear that he wasn't backing down.

And as much as he made Arthur want to stab something, she had to admit, he _was_ brave. He was standing his ground, and that was something Arthur admired.

But she was still annoyed.

"Would you like me to help you?" She kept a smirk plastered on her face as she spoke, her amusement beating out her anger for the moment.

But Merlin let out a muffled sort of laugh, obviously not taking her threat seriously.

"I wouldn't if I were you,"

Arthur gaped at the scrawny boy in front of her, her grip loosening on her sword as she took in his words.

_Was he being serious?_

"Why? What're _you_ going to do to _me_?" She let out her own bark of laughter.

He was a scrawny little boy, and she was, well, she was _Princess_ _Arthur_! One of the most reputable swordsman in the Kingdom, no matter the fact that she was a woman! Merlin wouldn't be able to land a single blow, and she was completely surprised that he thought he could.

"You have no idea,"

Arthur was baffled at the confidence in his voice, and raised her eyebrows at the absurdity of it all. The poor boy was actually convinced he could stand a chance!

Arthur laughed once again, before she held her hands out to her side.

"Be my guest!" She spoke, noting the crowd that had gathered to watch them.

But Merlin hesitated, glancing about as if looking for a way out of the situation he had gotten himself into.

Arthur narrowed her eyes, anger welling up in her chest at the thought of him hesitating because of the simple fact that she was a _woman_.

"And don't be afraid to hit me, because I won't think twice about hitting _you_." Her words were blunt, and she found herself longing for him to say something that would give her reason to teach him a lesson.

But still he hesitated.

"Well, come on then!" She practically shouted at the boy. "Come _on_," She leaned forward, her blue eyes taunting him.

And she got her wish.

As she leaned back, Merlin's body tensed, and he threw out a fist.

It was comical, really, how absolutely pathetic his punch was. It was slow enough that Arthur didn't even have to _try_ to stop him. She reached up with honed instincts, grabbing his wrist and twisting so that Merlin's arm was locked behind his back.

She leaned forward to speak in his ear.

"I'll throw you in jail for that,"

Merlin scoffed.

"Who d'you think you are? The King?" He asked, his tone mocking in nature.

It was then that Arthur realized that he didn't know who she was. She had thought that her shoulder and chest armor would have given him a clue, or maybe the group of knights that stood to the side, but he obviously had no idea who he had gotten involved with. Well then. She'd better teach him.

"No," She smirked. "I'm his daughter, _Arthur_."

She emphasized her words with a twist of his arm, sending him down onto his knees.

It was remarkable how dull some people could be, and though he was brave, Merlin must have been dropped as a child. Arthur couldn't think of any rational reason why he would talk to her in that manner, other than the fact that he must be of very low intelligence.

She raised her hand, and in seconds there were several guards at her side, ready for her orders. She looked down at the raven haired boy, and shook her head.

"Take him to the dungeons. He can spend some time there to think about how he treats his superiors." She said.

Arthur let go of Merlin's arm, and motioned for the guards to take him away. She watched with an awed sort of expression as he was carried off into the distance, still not believing what had happened.

A serving boy had stood up to her? Had the gall to call _her_ an _ass_?

That boy was brave, she'd give him that.

**! #$%^**

Arthur walked through the halls of the castle, trying to find her way to her room. She stretched out her shoulders, trying to rid them of the knots they contained. She had worked harder than usual that day, taking all of her frustration out on the knights.

They really did need some tuning up, and it was harder than she had originally thought to get them back in shape. But she had tried, and it showed in the soreness of her muscles.

She was almost to her room when she heard someone call her name.

"Arthur!"

She turned, and smiled when she caught sight of who had spoken.

"Morgana," She smiled at the other woman, who had appeared by her side.

Morgana grinned at Arthur, but not the usual happy to see her type of grin. Arthur groaned softly as she recognized the look on Morgana's face as the is-it-true-something-embarrassing- happened-to-you? type of look.

And sure enough, she was right.

"So, Arthur, is it true _a serving boy_ stood up to you?" She asked, her green eyes alight with amusement.

Arthur's smile turned into a scowl, and she turned to walk away.

"He was an idiot." She spoke, not wanting to have this conversation right now.

Morgana put a hand on Arthur's shoulder, stopping her.

"Arthur, come on. You have to admit, it _is_ pretty funny," She grinned.

Arthur turned back to her.

"What's _funny_, is that he's currently spending the night in the dungeon. _That's_ what I find _funny_," She spoke.

Morgana rolled her eyes, and gave Arthur a pointed stare.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Arthur. I was just curious," She gave a soft smile.

Any anger Arthur felt towards her friend disappeared with every word she spoke, and she found herself smiling back at the dark haired woman.

"I know," She shook her head at Morgana. "But I'm exhausted, so if you'll excuse me, there's a bed just waiting for me to fall into,"

Arthur gave a small wave, and left for her room. She fell asleep within minutes, and only opened her eyes once the daylight streamed through her window.

Arthur spent the first part of her day talking to Lady Helen, but upon realizing that she did not wish to be bothered, she instead gathered some of her knights and took to roaming the town's streets, occupying her time by watching her people go about their daily lives, all without the stress of being a Princess.

And so it was that Arthur ran into Merlin once again.

Arthur honestly didn't believe her luck as the boy walked toward her, and couldn't resist the urge to taunt him.

"How's your knee walking coming along?" She laughed, turning to watch his reaction.

But Merlin didn't respond to her jesting, and instead continued walking in the opposite direction. Arthur raised her eyebrows, slightly disappointed that he wouldn't reply in his idiotic way.

"Oh, don't run away!" She shouted after him, holding her hands out to her side.

There was a slight pause as Merlin stopped walking, before he spoke.

"From _you_?"

Arthur grinned, glad she finally provoked him.

"Oh, thank God. I thought you were deaf as well as dumb," She said.

Merlin gave a small chuckle, his back still facing Arthur.

"Look, I've told you, you're an ass," He turned to look at her. "I just didn't realize you were a Royal one."

Arthur's eyebrows shot upwards. _Was he being serious?_ After everything that happened the day before, he still chose to act like that? Arthur gaped at the boy, and turned to her knights to see if they were as shocked as she.

Merlin's voice cut in.

"Oh, what are you going to do, get _daddy's_ men to protect you?"

Something in Arthur's chest tightened at his words, and she forced a laugh out of her mouth.

"I could take you apart with one blow." She said, and she knew it was true.

The boy was skinny and had little to no muscle on his bones, Arthur wagered that a simple push would knock him over.

But Merlin continued speaking as though he was an equal match.

"I could take you apart with less than that," He gave a smile.

Arthur tilted her head.

"Are you sure?"

Merlin paused for a moment, thinking over his next move. After a second on contemplation, he began removing his jacket.

Arthur couldn't contain her laughter any longer, and she shook her head in slight pity for the boy. She turned to one of the knights, and held out her hand. They gave her a mace, which she promptly tossed over to Merlin.

"Here you go, big man,"

Merlin reached for the weapon, but hesitated, and found himself flinching back. The mace dropped to the floor in front of him, and he shot Arthur a glare. He picked up the mace, and Arthur immediately knew that he had never held one in his life, based on the way he held it.

"Come on, then," She shook her head, and began twirling the mace by her side. "I warn you, I've been trained to kill since birth,"

Merlin's facial expression changed to one of amusement.

"Wow, and how long have you been training to be a prat?" He spoke freely.

Arthur dropped the weapon to her side, shaking her head at the boy.

"You _can't_ address me like that!" She said, hoping that Merlin took it to heart.

But Merlin just chuckled, and looked down at his hands.

"Sorry," He said. "How long have you been training to be a prat, _Milady_?"

Arthur couldn't believe this. She honestly couldn't believe that this boy had survived this long with a mouth like that. Annoyance bubbled up, and she tightened her grip on the mace in her hand.

She gave Merlin a warning glare, before swinging the weapon slightly above his head.

The swing wouldn't have hit him anyway, but Arthur smiled as Merlin dropped to the ground. _Oh, this would be fun_. Arthur stalked forward, watching in amusement as Merlin backed up, trying not to run into the crowd that had once again gathered around them.

"Come on, then, Merlin!" She shouted. "Come on!"

If this boy was willing to talk to her in that manner, then he had to back it up with his weapon.

Merlin somehow got his mace stuck in something, and tried to hurriedly release it.

_This was too easy_.

Arthur gave a semi-powerful swing, and watched as Merlin dodged around it, completely forgetting his mace. As she followed with another swing, he dashed to the left, leaving her mace to smash into the food cart behind him.

_He was fast_.

Arthur swung the mace over her head, realizing the fact that she was showing off, but not really caring in the slightest. She swung and missed yet again, this time because Merlin rolled clumsily onto the other side of the cart. She rolled her eyes, and leaped over the wooden stand after him.

She followed as Merlin stumbled backwards into a stand, and raised her eyebrows as he fell onto some sacks of hay, his back up against the wall.

"You're in trouble now," She shook her head, a small smirk on her lips.

Merlin scrambled to find a way out, his raven hair sticking every which way.

Arthur continued swinging her mace, and was about to step forward when her weapon wrapped itself around a sickle that was hanging from a nearby stand. _What?_ _Of all times, of course it would be now_.

Arthur tried freeing her mace, and nearly stomped her foot on the ground when Merlin scurried away. Her weapon came free with a clang of metal on metal, and she sprinted after the boy. She swung her mace more carefully now, and kept her eyes on Merlin.

She wasn't paying attention to what was on the ground, though, and let out a pained cry as she stepped into a wooden box. She grumbled under her breath, and stepped forward with renewed motivation. She swung her mace at the boy again, this time not holding back any of her strength.

Merlin dodged, and her mace slammed into a basket of fruit, successfully sending pieces of wet mush flying about. Arthur frowned, and followed after him.

And promptly fell on her face.

Arthur slammed her fist into the ground as she realized that she _tripped_. Of all of the times and places, _now_ she tripped. She glanced backwards to find what she tripped over, but saw nothing. Arthur shook her head.

_Now it's personal_.

She leapt to her feet, and found herself face to face with an armed Merlin. Somehow Merlin had managed to get his hands on her mace while she was down, and was currently swinging it by his side.

"D'you want to give up?" He asked, his lips turned up into a confident grin.

Arthur scoffed. He took her mace, and now he thinks that he's some sort of weapons master?

"To _you_?" She smirked.

Merlin just spoke louder.

"Do you? Do you want to give up?" He taunted, his blue eyes bright with excitement.

Arthur moved so she could see him better, but instead found herself falling backwards onto some sacks of flour. _Oh, come on!_ Anger seeped into her thoughts. _This was a serving boy! I am _Arthur_, Princess of Camelot!_

While Merlin seemed distracted with something, she grabbed a nearby broom and jumped to her feet. She hit the inside of his knee, buckling it, and as he turned around, she thrust the handle forward into his stomach.

As he doubled over from the blow, Arthur put the finishing touch and smacked him over the head with the sweeping end of the broom. Merlin fell to the ground with a groan, and Arthur couldn't help but to mockingly sweep some dirt by him.

Two guards immediately rushed to the boy's side, each one grabbing an arm and pulling him to his feet. They began to carry him away, but she held up a hand.

"Wait, let him go," She spoke up, walking forward.

Arthur looked him up and down, trying to see what it was that made him this way. He was a boy, a simple serving boy, and yet he had stood up to the _Princess of Camelot_. No ordinary boy would have done that, so what was different about _him_? Arthur made a noise in her throat, and nodded slightly.

"He may be an idiot, but he's a damn brave one," She spoke.

She moved forward, and stared at Merlin with an odd expression.

"There's something about you, Merlin," She said, before shaking her head. "I can't quite put my finger on it."

Arthur gave Merlin one last look, before turning on her heel and heading back to the castle.

**! #$%^**

Arthur was in a bad mood. She was currently standing around chatting at the feast for Lady Helen, speaking to people who wanted nothing more than to suck up to her. She had spent the rest of the day preparing for this, fighting against several of her maids who wanted to draw on her face with paint and oils.

She was close to banging her head against the nearest wall when she heard his voice.

"Well, well, look at you, Arthur! All dressed up for the occasion, are we?"

Arthur turned to see one of her knights, Alistair, standing a few feet away. She glanced down at the dress she was wearing, and immediately flushed from embarrassment. Arthur hated dresses, she hated them with a _passion_. How was someone supposed to move in one? And _breathe_? And what was the point, anyway? To _look_ _good_?

Alistair laughed and shook his head.

"No, it's lovely. You look absolutely beautiful, Milady." He spoke, making Arthur's white cheeks flush with color.

"You'd best keep your thoughts to yourself, Alistair." She grumbled, fidgeting as she glanced around the room.

"Here, Arthur. This'll help,"

She looked back at him to see that he had a glass of ale in his outstretched hand, and she couldn't help but to grin.

Alistair had been one of her knights for as long as she could remember, though he was only a few years older than herself. Arthur loved the fact that he treated her the same as any other, never once caring that she was a woman.

Arthur took the glass of ale, and nearly downed it in one gulp.

The drink helped her to forget the fact that she was in a damned dress, and soon enough she was laughing and talking loudly with all of her knights. She briefly noted the fact that Merlin was there, standing off in a corner and pouring drinks, but she was too immersed in conversation with her friends to truly care.

"And then this woman over here, she runs in front of the damned beast and starts screaming at it!" Alistair grinned, waving his hands around to emphasize his words.

Arthur laughed.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? _You're_ the one that tripped over her cubs! She was going to tear you to shreds, Alistair!" Arthur shook her head at the man.

"Well, you could have stabbed it! But no, you stood there and shouted at the beast until it scampered off with its tail between its legs!"

The knights burst into laughter, and Arthur was going to say something else when the trumpets sounded. Arthur rolled her eyes.

"This conversation is _not_ over!" She warned them, before grabbing her glass of ale and heading to her seat at the main table. She stood, hiding the drink behind her back as her father walked through the doors and down the aisle.

He stopped in the middle, and turned to speak to those at the feast.

"We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity," He began. "It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures, but few can compare with the honor of introducing Lady Helen of Mora!" He motioned to the other side of the room, where the singer had moved onto the stage.

Uther moved to sit by his daughter, shooting her a disapproving glare when he saw her hidden cup of ale. Arthur cleared her throat, and set the glass back onto the table. With a small sigh, she focused her attention on Lady Helen.

And when she opened her mouth and began to sing, Arthur was enraptured. The notes that came out of her mouth seemed beautiful, even verging on angelic. She couldn't look away, and she couldn't think of anything else.

She hardly noticed her eyelids beginning to droop shut, or her mind starting to fog with sleep. The notes drifted through her mind, softly singing her to a deep sleep. _Sleep?_ _What? _Her head fell back onto her chair, and her eyes closed to the sound of beautiful music.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and Arthur jolted awake.

She tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes, but grimaced when she saw that her hands and face were covered in cobwebs. _Cobwebs?_ She tore the material off of her, and looked around to see that everyone else shared in her situation, all of them waking up and covered in the sticky matter.

She frowned as she saw Lady Helen on the ground in front of her, crushed by the chandelier that was on the ceiling the last time Arthur saw it. _What had happened? _She then remembered the music, and the trance-like state it had sent her into.

_Magic_.

And then Arthur saw that Lady Helen was no longer Lady Helen, and instead was an elderly woman. _Wait, was that-?_ Arthur startled as she recognized the old woman as the mother of the man who was executed several days before. She hadn't attended the actual beheading, but she had passed by a window when the woman vowed to get even with her father.

Arthur never thought it was a serious threat, but had obviously been proven wrong.

Arthur jumped slightly when the woman raised her head, and her eyes locked with the old woman's. There was no pity in her expression, just a fierce determination. The woman's arm raised, and Arthur's eyes widened when she caught sight of the silver dagger in her hand.

Arthur was frozen. Years and years of training should have made dodging the dagger easy, but she remained frozen in horror as the lethal weapon sailed towards her, aimed straight at her chest.

But before it could sink into her flesh, two hands latched onto her shoulders and pulled her to the ground.

Arthur grunted as she landed on the cold floor, but quickly shot back into a sitting position. She stared at where she was sitting just a moment earlier, and saw the dagger embedded in the chair she ad been pulled out of.

A sigh of relief found its way out of Arthur's mouth, but when she turned to see her savior, her breath caught in her throat.

It was _Merlin_.

She stared at him in awe, not believing that _Merlin_, the _serving boy_, had just saved her life. There was a strange gasping sound, and Arthur turned in time to see the old woman collapse, and she knew that the woman had died.

Arthur quickly got to her feet, and turned once again to look at the boy who had saved her life. Her father stumbled over to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder to make sure she was okay. Arthur nodded, and Uther turned to Merlin.

"You have saved my girl's life," He spoke, the gratitude in his voice sincere enough to make Arthur's throat tighten.

"A debt must be repaid," He continued.

Merlin shook his head and held up his hands.

"No, it woul- well…" He trailed off, a small smile on his lips as he clasped his hands behind his back.

Arthur's eyes narrowed as she turned to her father, wondering what he'd grant the serving boy.

"Don't be so modest," Uther spoke. "You shall be rewarded."

Merlin shook his head slightly.

"Honestly, you don't have to, Your Highness," He smiled.

But Arthur knew her father wouldn't let something like this go unrewarded.

"No, absolutely. This merits something quite special."

_Oh, no._

That meant that her father wasn't going to give him gold or jewels, which would be by far the easier route to take. Arthur tensed, waiting for her father's next words.

"You shall be rewarded with a position in the Royal Household," Uther spoke.

Arthur relaxed, knowing that he'd end up as a servant to some noble. _That wasn't so bad_.

"You shall be Princess Arthur's manservant." Uther clapped her on the shoulder, and began walking away.

_What_?!

Arthur choked on the air she was breathing, her wide eyes swiveling from her father to Merlin, who stood beside her with a similar look of horror.

"Father!" She gasped out, trying to get him to take back his 'reward'.

But Uther had already made his way out of the room, and the people attending the feast began clapping in celebration. Arthur glared at Merlin in accusation, even though it wasn't actually his fault, before turning her head aside.

Her eyes locked with Alistair's, who was currently giving her a knowing smile. He knew all about Merlin standing up to Arthur, and he made sure to convey it through a small smirk. Arthur glared at him, and quickly swept out of the room.

_Merlin being my manservant?_

Merlin_?_

_Well, this'll be just _brilliant_, now won't it?_

**! #$%^**

**A/N: So that was the first chapter, about 5,250 words long. So yeah. Alistair is an original character, just thought since we don't see a lot of Arthur's POV in the show, and that's ALL there is here, I'd add some more depth. Oh, and most of this story will focus on the developing relationship between Arthur and Merlin, so there'll be a lot of scenes with the two of them. But let me know what you think of this chapter, the next one will be Vailant and the tournament. Let me know what you think in a review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to the people who reviewed, all of your feedback was lovely to hear! Oh, and I'm sorry if keeping Arthur's name threw you off, originally I was going to change it, but no other name worked for me. Hopefully it won't be as strange as the story progresses. And the story **_**will**_** be Merthur heavy, as I really want to focus on their relationship growing, but it'll still be (hopefully) in character :)**

**P.S. **

**Just wanted to point out the awesome graphic that I got, because it's amazing. Yeah. :)**

**! #$%^**

"Are you ready?" Arthur spoke, twirling her sword at her side.

She was currently standing in a training courtyard not too far from the castle, trying to teach Merlin a thing or two about sword fighting, as well as get in some training for the tournament that would be held the next day.

Merlin hurried to put on his training armor, looking up at her with a frown.

"Would it make any difference if I said '_no_'?" He said.

"Not really," Arthur spoke bluntly.

She stopped twirling her sword, and held it steady in both hands. Her muscles automatically found their way into a fighting stance, her knees bent and her sword out in front of her. She gave Merlin a slight nod as he put on his helmet, and made the first move.

"Body," She warned him, before giving a light strike to his side.

As she suspected, Merlin was slow to block, and barely got his sword up in time to deflect the blow. Arthur sighed.

"Shield," She warned once again, before her sword clashed into his metal shield.

"Body," Arthur struck him once again. "Shield,"

_ This was getting her nowhere._

She thought for a moment, before trying something new.

"Head."

Merlin paused, his shield lowering as he took in her words.

"Head?" He asked, his voice laced with confusion.

Arthur's lips turned up into a small grin, before she brought her sword up and smacked him on top of his helmet.

"_Ow_!" Merlin exclaimed, shaking his head out like a wet dog.

Arthur couldn't help the amusement from showing on her face, and her eyebrows raised.

"Come on, Merlin, you're not even trying!" She spoke, circling him as he tried to regain his composure.

"I am!"

Arthur suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, and slapped the back on his knees with her sword. He stumbled a bit, before turning to face her.

"Once more," She ordered.

Merlin grumbled a bit in response, but held up his sword and shield anyway.

"To the left," Arthur swung her sword. "And the right, and left,"

She grinned.

"_Head_."

She struck him on the side of his helmet yet again, and let out an exasperated sigh as Merlin made no move to block it. She had to get her training in for the day, and she needed Merlin to actually attempt to fight back.

"Come on, Merlin, I've got a tournament to win!" She circled him yet again as he tried to readjust his helmet.

But Merlin just looked miserable.

"Can we stop now, please?" He asked, causing Arthur to grit her teeth and tighten her grip on her sword.

"_Shield_," She struck out with more strength than before. "_Body_."

Merlin surprised her by performing a decent block, and she only hoped he could repeat it.

"_Shield_." She spoke, but Merlin was one step ahead of her, and quickly blocked the attack.

Of course, as soon as he deflected it, he left Arthur an opening that made her sigh. She brought her sword up to his head, hitting the side of his helmet yet again. She quickly did the same to the other side, making sure that he would have a nice ringing in his ears when they were done.

Merlin was only able to stand for a few seconds longer, before he fell back onto the ground. His helmet came off, and rolled a few feet away. He let out a low groan, his eyes clenched shut.

Arthur walked forwards, lowering her sword. She stood above the boy, staring down at him with her head tilted in amusement.

"You're braver than you look, Merlin. Most servants collapse after the first blow." She grinned.

Merlin propped himself up on his elbows, squinting to see through the sun.

"Is it over?" He asked.

Arthur smiled.

"_That_ was just a warm up," She reached down to pick up another weapon. "How's your mace work coming along?"

Merlin fell back onto the ground with another groan, making Arthur roll her eyes.

But she wasn't joking when she told him that it was just a warm up, as they spent at least two more hours practicing. It quickly became evident to Arthur that Merlin wasn't going to get any better weapons, so she tried to work around it the best she could.

When Merlin could barely stand, she finally sent him home, shaking her head.

She was competing in a tournament the next day, _the_ tournament. The one her father had been pressuring her about for the past several _weeks_, even though she had won it several times before.

_'It's a show of courage and bravery, and if you lose this, no one will see you fit to be a ruler. You are a woman, Arthur, but if you win this tournament, then Camelot just might accept that.'_

Her father's words rang through her head as though she had just heard them, and she clenched her eyes shut. She had to win, she _had_ to. But after a moment she opened her blue eyes and shook her head. What was she thinking?

_She was Arthur, Princess of Camelot. _

_ Of course she was going to win._

**! #$%^**

"You do know the tournament starts _today_?" Arthur pointed out, watching as Merlin struggled to clasp her wrist gauntlet.

It was the day of the tournament, and Arthur couldn't believe how hard of a time Merlin had with his duties.

Merlin looked up at her with an exasperated smile.

"_Yes_, Milady," He answered, before returning to the armor.

Arthur frowned, her mind whirling. _How in the world did this boy even get dressed in the morning?_ _It was ridiculous. _She squinted down at the ground, finding comfort in the sight of her well-worn shoes.

"You nervous?" Merlin's voice called Arthur back to the present.

She turned to look at him, her blue eyes scrutinizing every detail of this odd servant. _Why was he asking her this?_ She studied his own blue eyes for a moment. _She shouldn't have to answer him, as it was absolutely none of his business and quite honestly an inappropriate question to ask his superior._

But for some reason, instead of telling him off, she gave a brisk retort.

"I don't get nervous."

Merlin glanced down at her with a smile on his face, amusement clear in his blue eyes.

"Really? I thought everyone got nervous," He said.

It was ridiculous, but something in the way he answered her made her snap. Maybe it was because of the fact that Arthur was indeed nervous, and yet Merlin still had the nerve to _joke_ about the situation. He had no idea what the stakes were, no idea how her father would _look_ at her if she lost this tournament.

"Will you _shut up_?" Arthur barked, her voice coming out far harsher than she intended.

Merlin seems slightly shocked, but after staring at her for a long moment, simply gave her a smile and continued working. Arthur narrowed her eyes as Merlin set her cape on her shoulders, fumbling with the clasps to tie it together.

Merlin's nose scrunched up as he figured it out, and somehow it made all of Arthur's anger fade away, replaced instead with an urge to roll her eyes.

Merlin placed her helmet in her arms, stepped back, and gave a nod as he looked her over.

"Great, yeah, I think you're all set!" He grinned.

Arthur raised her eyebrows. _Was he being serious? _She stared at him, and upon realizing that he wasn't joking around, spoke up.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Merlin gave her a confused look.

"My _sword_." She gave him a pointed glance.

Comprehension dawned upon his features, and he gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, sorry!" He apologized.

He quickly grabbed Arthur's sword from the nearby stand, and held it out to her.

"You'll be needing that,"

Arthur stared at him for a moment, wondering how it was possible for him to be so _bad_ at being a servant. She didn't think that it was too difficult of a job, and even someone as dimwitted as _Merlin_ should have been able to do it. She shook her head, her blonde hair falling around her shoulders, and grabbed the sword from Merlin's outstretched hands.

Arthur turned and walked toward the arena, finding her place beside the other knights. She took a deep breath in, preparing herself for what was to come. As the princess of Camelot and reigning champion, she would be the first to fight, and she had to be ready.

The drums and trumpets sounded, the signal to march forward. She followed in an orderly line, her head held high as she walked into the stadium.

It was teeming with people, as Arthur knew it would be, and her blue eyes scanned the crowd for any familiar faces. She saw Morgana and her maid Guinevere, as well as Alistair, who was sitting only a few seats away from them. Alistair shot her a wide grin as her eyes locked with his, and for some reason it gave Arthur a surprising amount of comfort.

Her father strode forward, stopping in the middle of the arena to address the group.

"Knights of the realm, it is a great honor to welcome you to the Tournament at Camelot," He began.

Arthur sighed softly as she recognized the speech as the exact same one he gave last year, and the year before.

"Over the next three days you will come to put your bravery to the test, your skills as warriors, and of course, to challenge the reigning champion: my daughter, Princess Arthur."

The King nodded towards Arthur, and as usual, every knight turned to look at her. Her father continued.

"Only _one_ can have the honor of being crowned champion, and he will receive a prize of one thousand gold pieces. It is in combat that we learn a knight's true nature, whether he is indeed a _warrior_, or a _coward_."

He nodded, and raised his hand.

"Let the tournament _begin_!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, and Arthur took a deep breath. She held it for a moment, her eyes shutting softly, before she moved forward to take her place in the center of the ring.

Her father moved to her side, patting her on the back as he stared out into the crowd. Arthur had a fleeting wish that he would say something reassuring, but her hopes were quickly crushed as the King spoke.

"I trust you will make me proud." His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.

Arthur swallowed, and nodded her head.

A squire moved to her side as her father walked away, and she undid the ties of her cape, handing it to the young boy. She put her helmet on her head, and grabbed her shield.

Arthur moved into her fighting stance, observing her opponent with calculating eyes. The tension in her shoulders seemed to fade as she bounced lightly on her feet, and she found her anxiety lessoning with every breath.

She was the first to make a move, striking out experimentally, seeing how the knight would react. He blocked relatively well, but was clumsy on his counter attack. Arthur grinned, and stepped back, spinning slightly to form momentum, and slashed at him yet again.

He dodged, and gave an attack of his own, which she blocked with her shield. She thrust forward while he was behind her shield, sending him stumbling backwards. The knight lashed out, giving Arthur the perfect opening. She moved just as he struck, and the momentum of his attack sent him a little too forward.

Arthur pulled her arm back, elbowing the knight right in the face.

The hit knocked him to the ground, and sent his helmet flying off of his head. The crowd roared with excitement, and some even began chanting Arthur's name.

She exhaled, pulling her own helmet off in victory.

_That wasn't so bad._

And the rest of the day seemed to pass the same, with Arthur fighting in a match here and there, and annihilating all of her opponents. When she wasn't fighting, or preparing for the next match, she was watching the other competitors.

There were a few swordsmen who had real skill with a blade, and she could already pick out the handful that would reach the final matches.

She watched in silence as one of the knights she was betting on, Knight Valiant, knocked out another skilled competitor with ease.

"Knight Valiant looks pretty handy with a sword," Merlin spoke, surprising Arthur by appearing out of nowhere.

She glanced briefly at him with a frown, before turning her gaze back to Valiant.

He was most definitely skilled with a sword, but his style was brutal and aggressive, something that made Arthur wary in a way she couldn't fully understand. She shook her head, but couldn't get rid of the feeling that Knight Valiant wasn't someone she wanted to get mixed up with.

She watched as Valiant left the arena, and made to pass through the camp to his tent. She hoped that he wouldn't approach her, but had no such luck. He turned when he saw her, and gave a strange sort of smile.

It wasn't cruel or sarcastic, but something about it gave Arthur a bad feeling.

"May I offer my congratulations on your victories today?" He spoke, giving her a nod of what she assumed meant his respect.

"Likewise." She responded, giving him a tight smile.

"I hope to see you at the reception this evening," He said.

His words were polite and respectful, but he stared at her as though he were posing a challenge. Valiant was confident, overly so, and that made her own pride give a flare of defiance.

But she held her tongue, and nodded at the knight as he turned to leave for his tent.

Merlin, who had been watching the encounter as he undid her armor, spoke up.

"Creep."

Arthur turned to look at Merlin, who was staring at Valiant's retreating back with a glare. She couldn't help it, and let out a bark of laughter at Merlin's words.

Merlin glanced back at her, and his face lit up into a smile at the sight of her laughing.

Arthur paused for a moment, taking a second to admire Merlin's grin. It was amazing, how when he smiled, his whole _face_ brightened, not just his lips. She supposed that some faces were just meant to wear smiles, and Merlin's was definitely one of them.

But she quickly came to her senses, and frowned, the laughter fading from her lips. _No joking around with a servant_, she told herself firmly.

Arthur cleared her throat, and looked back at Merlin.

"For tomorrow you need to repair my shield, wash my tunic," She spoke as she walked away, listing things off the top of her head. "Clean my boots, sharpen my sword, and polish my chainmail."

As she strode towards the castle, she could hear Merlin's exasperated sigh, and felt a small smile tug at the corner of her lips at the sound.

She shook her head, and continued on her trek to the castle. Tonight she had to attend the typical 'meeting with the King' that was always held the on first night of the tournament. Luckily it never took too long, and she would be able to wear exactly what she had on, no need for any ridiculous dresses.

"Arthur!"

A voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she looked over her shoulder to see Alistair there with his usual grin. Arthur slowed slightly, and allowed him to catch up to her.

"Alistair," She nodded at him.

He just smiled, and patted her playfully on the back.

"You did well out there, Arthur. You had the whole crowd rooting for you," He spoke.

Arthur rolled her eyes.

"That's because I'm the Princess of Camelot. Of course they're going to root for me, why _wouldn't_ they? I'm the best swordsman there." She said.

Alistair raised his eyebrows, and shot her a look.

"Your modesty overwhelms me, Milady," His tone was laced with sarcasm.

Arthur glared at him for a moment, before her arm shot out, landing a solid hit on Alistair's shoulder.

"Ow!" He winced slightly, before laughing in disbelief. "What was that for?"

Arthur shot him a look of her own, and shook her head.

"_That_," She spoke. "Was for being a twit."

Alistair rolled his brown eyes, and waved her off.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Arthur. I have to go and be a _mature adult_ now." He gave her one last smile, before wandering off towards the lower town.

Arthur sighed, and resumed walking.

**! #$%^**

It wasn't long after Arthur got to her chambers and sat down to rest on her bed, that there was a knock on the door, and a servant popped in to remind her that the meeting with the King would take place in less than an hour.

Arthur let out another sigh, but she quickly got over her weariness, threw on her red cape, and made her way down to the reception hall.

When she got there, she quickly found her place in the line to speak to her father, and waited. Unfortunately, some of the knights liked to talk, so she found herself waiting for much longer than usual, and tried to occupy her time by watching the other competitors.

They all seemed skilled enough, but only Knight Valiant truly stood out to her. Her eyes roamed through the crowd of knights, searching for the knight. And as she found him, her blue eyes immediately narrowed.

Knight Valiant was currently talking to her father, a charming smile on his face that just screamed out danger.

Arthur frowned as her father smiled at the man, and placed his hand on his shoulder. He seemed to be delighted by the knight's presence, and Arthur found herself resenting him even more.

_Just who did he think he was?_

The King turned to introduce Valiant to Morgana, who seemed completely enchanted by him. Arthur narrowed her eyes yet again. Morgana knew better than to talk to someone like that!

Arthur thought that she had taught her well enough for her to know when to stay away from men who had that _look_ to them. But Morgana just grinned as Valiant kissed her hand, and Arthur had to try her hardest not to glare at the knight.

It was soon Arthur's turn to speak to her father, and she looked up at him with a respectful nod of the head.

"Arthur." He nodded back.

It was clear that he did not wish to speak to her, so Arthur quickly turned to Morgana. The raven haired woman glanced over at Valiant, who was speaking with several other knights.

"They all seem rather impressed by Knight Valiant," Morgana smiled.

Arthur gave her a pointed stare.

"They're not the only ones,"

Morgana raised her eyebrows.

"Well, I have every right to be impressed!" She spoke.

Arthur shook her head, and turned to leave.

"You can do better."

Arthur left, hearing Morgana's irritated sigh as she walked away.

As much as she might annoy the King's ward, everything Arthur did was because she loved Morgana like a sister. They had practically grown up together, hell, Arthur was the one who taught her how to use a sword! She cared for her, and she didn't want to see her mixed up with someone like _Valiant_.

Arthur tried to mingle with the other knights, but couldn't shake her ill feelings, and left as soon as she was able to. She made her way back to her chambers, and fell onto her bed, her blue eyes closing as sleep crept up on her.

Arthur wearily undid her cape, and kicked off her boots, but fell asleep seconds later, still dressed in the clothes she had worn that day.

**! #$%^**

**A/N: So this chapter was a little shorter, but it's nearly one in the morning here and I'm getting tired. So here is where this chapter shall end. The next one will finish Valiant's storyline, and maybe start on episode three, but we'll see (unintentional rhyme) ;) Let me know what you thought of this chapter!**


End file.
